Tutorials vs training (income)?

["Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

walden miller has a client who <<...would like to remove all tutorials from
their products because (in their viewpoint) well-written/conceived tutorials
will adversely affect training revenues.>>

Given that the purpose of including a tutorial is to get users up to speed
with a product without requiring training, it's hard to fault their logic.
Of course, given the state of the art in tutorials, they can probably sleep
easy; many of the tutorials I've used seem to have been designed expressly
to force people to take training courses. <g>

<<They will concede the tutorials if I can come up with a study which shows
there is no adverse relationship between CBT/tutorials and classroom
training.>>

Could you arrange a compromise with them that creates a win for the users
and a win for the client? Create tutorials that teach people to become
basically competent with the main features of the software, so they don't
feel cheated by buying something they can't use, but leave plenty of room
for "advanced" training that goes beyond the basics? In addition to the
ubiquitous "RoboHelp101" type of training, I've seen scads of advanced
training seminars, and people seem to be making a very good living indeed
offer these advanced seminars. Take that as anecdotal evidence if you wish.

--Geoff Hart, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca 
"The paperless office will arrive when the paperless toilet
arrives."--Matthew Stevens